1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to head lamps for bicycles and particularly to head lamps for bicycles using a light emitting diode as a light source.
2. Description of the Background Art
Conventionally bicycle head lamps have been provided with a light source often in the form of an incandescent lamp for example having a tungsten filament sealed therein. Its power source is provided by a battery and a current supplied from the battery enables the incandescent lamp to generate heat and emit light. Such an incandescent lamp, readily attachable to a bicycle, has generally been used.
However, an incandescent lamp generates heat and a large portion thereof is not used as a light source but lost as heat energy and the battery""s lifetime becomes short disadvantageously. A sufficiently long battery lifetime can be ensured simply by using a battery having a large capacity. This, however, provides an increased weight. Accordingly, increasing the battery""s capacity is limited to a range. Furthermore, an incandescent lamp itself has a short lifetime.
As a light source providing for the above disadvantages of an incandescent lamp a light emitting diode (LED) is used. An LED does not generate so much heat as it emits light through recombination of carrier at a junction of semiconductor. As such, enhanced energy efficiency can be provided and a significantly increased battery lifetime can accordingly be provided. Furthermore, an LED has a longer lifetime than an incandescent lamp and is used not only for bicycle head lamps but a variety of light sources.
A bicycle head lamp is required to satisfy a variety of performances. Most important is illuminance in a vicinity of a front side for example 10 m ahead. Such an important performance is explicitly provided in a variety of standards. For example the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) 6742-1 provides, for a bicycle shown in FIG. 7, a distribution of light a predetermined distance ahead, as shown in FIG. 8. Note that an illuminance a predetermined distance ahead and a luminous intensity indicative of an intensity of a light source are correlated and a bicycle head lamp""s distribution of light is often defined by luminous intensity, as follows:
(a) A luminous intensity of no less than 400 cd for a position A corresponding to an axis of a head lamp 10 m ahead.
(b) A luminous intensity of no less than a half of a maximum luminous intensity Imax for a rectangular range from a point A to four degrees horizontally and one degree vertically as seen from the head lamp.
(c) A luminous intensity of no more than 120 cd for an upper zone C exceeding 3.5xc2x0 from a center.
This standard for luminous intensity distribution is determined so that at nighttime an object 10 m ahead can be identified and pedestrians, cyclists, and the like in front of the head lamp do not feel dazzled by the lamp. The reduced luminous intensity for zone C is provided to prevent a vehicle running in an opposite direction from being dazzled.
Such a distribution of light as described above, a luminous intensity of a center of a front side corresponding to an axis of a head lamp in particular, cannot be implemented with a typical LED.
FIG. 9 represents luminance of each portion measured at a distance of 1 m. A maximum luminous intensity of 24.8 cd is provided and at a main region corresponding to a center of the head lamp no less than 20 cd is implemented. It is impossible, however, to satisfy no less than 400 cd, as provided in the above standard, at center portion A.
FIG. 10 is a cross section of a bicycle head lamp using three LEDs. In the figure, three LEDs 101, 102, 103 are each a narrow-angle emission LED emitting ahead light of 15xc2x0 in full width at half maximum (FWHM). In the light of 15xc2x0 in FWHM, light of a value corresponding to a half of a peak value at a center of light emitted ahead has a maximum spreading width of 15xc2x0 from a direction of a center thereof. Typical LEDs emit light spreading with larger width. As such, the narrow-angle emission LED described above can be regarded as an LED having excellent directivity.
Furthermore the FIG. 10 head lamp is provided with concave (parabolic) reflectors 141, 142, 143 surrounding LEDs, respectively, from behind. A significant portion of light emitted from an LED travels directly from the LED ahead. Light emitted spreading wider in angle is emitted ahead by concave reflectors 141, 142, 143 surrounding the LEDs from behind. This allows light to be economically collected ahead.
However, light other than that having a path changed by the concave reflector, i.e., light emitted from the LED ahead does not have its path changed and travels ahead. The light that does not have its path changed and is emitted ahead spreads with a small angle when it is output from the LED. When it is output from a bicycle head lamp illuminating 10 m ahead, however, it spreads significantly.
FIG. 11 represents a distribution of illuminance of a bicycle head lamp measured at 5 m ahead and converted into luminous intensity. Despite as many as three LEDs are used, maximum luminous intensity Imax at a center is still no less than 97.5 cd and in a center region is no less than 80 cd. This is far from the luminous intensity of 400 cd at center point A provided in the aforementioned standard.
An LED provides high energy efficiency, has a long lifetime and is also effective in miniaturization. Accordingly there is a demand for development of a bicycle head lamp employing an LED to satisfy the above standard and other similar, various distributions of luminous intensity.
The present invention contemplates a bicycle head lamp employing an LED providing high energy efficiency, capable of readily providing sufficient illuminance at a center of an illuminated plane a predetermined distance ahead and also implementing a predetermined distribution of light.
The present head lamp is attached to bicycles. It includes: a casing holding a light source and provided with an opening allowing light from the light source to be emitted ahead; a plurality of light emitting diodes adjacently arranged as the light source; and a condenser lens arranged adjacent to the opening for each the light emitting diode to condense light received from the light emitting diode.
Thus light output from a plurality of LEDs can be collected ahead at a predetermined position to provide an increased distribution of light at the position, an increased illuminance in a vicinity of an optical axis of the head lamp in particular. If the LED simply has a rear side surrounded by a reflector, only an LED providing a narrow distribution of emission can be used as the LED surrounded by the reflector. When a lens is also introduced, not only the narrow-angle emission LED but a wide-angle emission LED can also be used. In terms of miniaturization the wide-angle emission LED is more desirable since a condenser lens can entirely be utilized to condense light. The use of the wide-angle emission LED can alleviate precision of a direction of LED.
The adjacently arranged LEDs may be arranged in a single row or multiple rows or collected together in close contact randomly.
The lens is only required to be a condenser lens and it may a convex lens, a Fresnel lens or the like.
The head lamp can have more than two light emitting diodes each arranged adjacent to at least two other light emitting diodes.
Each LED is arranged adjacent to at least two other LEDs such that (d1) no less than 3 LEDs are arranged annularly or (d2) in multiple rows, as predetermined. For example, the number of LEDs of a last row, a first row or the like is not different from that of LEDs of an adjacent row by no less than two and the LEDs are not biased in arrangement. A plurality of LEDs that are arranged in close contact, as described above, allow the head lamp to be reduced in size and provide an improved distribution of light a predetermined distance ahead, an increased illuminance in a vicinity of an optical axis of the head lamp in particular.
In the head lamp a light emitting diode arranged at an end of an arrangement of the plurality of light emitting diodes can provide an optical axis inclined to approach (a1) or be farther away (a2) from a front of a center of the head lamp as the optical axis extends farther ahead, so that a distribution of light is satisfied a predetermined distance ahead.
Thus a distribution of illuminance, i.e., a distribution of luminous intensity or a distribution of light a predetermined distance ahead in a vicinity of the head lamp""s optical axis at a predetermined region can be readily adjusted while at a center a predetermined luminous intensity can also be satisfied. This can help to satisfy a variety of standards for a distribution of illuminance the predetermined distance ahead at the predetermined region that are determined with safety considered. For item (a1), a luminous flux output from an LED located at an end is allowed to intersect at an appropriate position before a predetermined distance ahead, as determined in a standard, to appropriately spread the predetermined distance ahead to provide an adjusted distribution of light. For a predetermined case, an end""s optical axis can be inclined outward, as described in item (a2).
In the present bicycle head lamp a plurality of LEDs can be arranged in multiple rows.
The plurality of LEDs arranged in multiple rows can help to provide increased illuminance at a position corresponding to a center of the head lamp and also reduce the head lamp in size.
In the present bicycle head lamp five LEDs can be arranged, in two rows.
For example, a row of two LEDs and that of three LEDs can be stacked to readily ensure a predetermined illuminance ahead at a position corresponding to a center.
The foregoing and other objects, features, aspects and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description of the present invention when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.